NRHP: The Omaha Star
Contents
The Omaha Star
NRHP Reference #: 07001322
NRHP Listing Date: 20071227
Location
2216 N 24th, Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska
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Summary
The Omaha Star building is located one block south of 24th and Lake, the central business district and heart of the African-American community of North Omaha. This property is significant for its association with African-American newspaper publishing in Omaha, as well as the early Civil Rights Movement in Omaha. From the date of its inception as an African-American newspaper in North Omaha in 1938, the Omaha Star has been a significant voice for change in Omaha. Whether it was merely encouraging the community to aspire to greater acts of charity and civic pride, or inspiring the African-American community to agitate for rights that were rightfully theirs, the Omaha Star has been both literally and figuratively at the heart of the North Omaha community. So much so, that during the Omaha riots of the late 1960s, the Black Panthers protected the Omaha Star building from fire and damage, seeing it as the symbol of a free voice that it has always been. The building is also significant for its association with Mildred Brown, a formidable woman who was the owner, publisher, initiator, and heart of the Omaha Star. It was she who provided the paper with its mission statement: "dedicated to the proposition that no good cause shall lack a champion and evil shall not thrive unopposed." It was a mission statement that she not only fulfilled in her working life, but in the rest of her life as well. Her days were dedicated to the betterment of her community and her neighbors' situations, and she could arguably be considered the champion of the neighborhood. Her generosity and leadership were an inspiration to many.
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About the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the country’s official list of historically significant properties. To be eligible for the NRHP a property must generally retain their historic appearance, be at least 50 years old, and have the potential to be documented as historically or architecturally significant at either the local, state, or national level. The National Register of Historic Places is a National Park Service program administered by the Nebraska State Historical Society for the state of Nebraska. Visit the Nebraska State Historical Society's website to learn more about the program.
